Understanding Data Types: The Basics

Understanding Data Types: The Basics

While it’s no secret that data is a ‘BIG’ deal in the online advertising landscape, the jargon generator has been in overdrive for a while now and the surrounding terminology is far from clear.

Below is a quick guide to understanding the relationships between data types:

1st Party data is data collected on your owned properties. It can take any shape: demographics from registration data or techno-graphics from user actions/behavior. 1st Party data is often touted as the Holy Grail of data because it is unique and free to use for one, not to mention having full visibility on its origins and legalities. Sell, or rent, that 1st Party data and the relationship changes.

Traditionally data is bought from exchanges, in other words an intermediary between the data owner and the purchaser. This chain accounts for the term 3rd Party data. In other words 3rd Party data is data purchased via an intermediary.

The less discussed of the three types is 2nd Party data. This is data acquired directly from the source via partnership. The common example is between an ad network and a publisher when the ad network uses techno-graphic, or behavioral, data from the publisher’s audience to inform ad serving decisions.